Hand-truck



(No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. A. METZGER 8a 1?. SGHILLING.

HAND TRUCK.

No; 303,657. Patented Aug. 19, 1884.

' WITNESSES A Hay/13v N. PETER$ PhMo-Lilhognpher. Washington. 11

(No Model.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2. M. A. METZGER & P. SGHILLING.

HAND TRUCK.

N0. 303,657. Patented Aug. v19, 1884.

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(No Model.) 3 Shets-Sheet 3.

M. A. METZGER & F. SGHILLING.

HAND TRUCK.

No. 303,657. Patented Aug. 19, 1884.

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WITNESSES view of my improved truck with a cask upon NiTED STATES ATENT rricn.

M. AMBROSE METZGER AND FRANK SOHILLING, OF LAFAYETTE, INDIANA.

HAND-TRUCK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 303,657, dated August 19, 1884.

- Application filed January 22, 1884. (No model.) i

To all whom it may concern.- 4

Be it known that we, MARION A. Mnrzena and FRANK SCHILLING, of Lafayette, in the eountyofTippeeanoe and State oflndiana,have invented certain Improvements in Trucks, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to trucks for handling casks; and it consists in certain improvements whereby the truck is adapted to facilitate 1o placing casks upon a rack "or raised platform. The construction is particularly designed with reference to casks tapped at the end, as pres ently explained.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective it ready to be moved to any desired point; Fig. 2, a perspective view of the same as made ready for setting the cask upon its rack; Fig. 3, a side elevation showing the said operation; i Fig. 4:,a perspective view of the truck; Figs. 5 and 6, perspective views illustrating certain modifications.

Molasses hogsheads and casks containing similar thick fluids are usually tapped at the :2 5 side, and asaconsequence a considerable quantity of such material remains in the cask and cannot be drawn off, being below the faucet or gate. It is therefore desirable to tap the hogshead or cask at the end; but as this must be done before the cask is placed upon the rack, and the gate or faucet projects below the lower end of the cask when the latter is upon the rack, it will be seen that much difficulty would be encountered in placing the'cask upon the rack unless special means for that purpose were provided. To obviate such difficulty constitutes then the main object of this invention, which will now be explained in connection with the drawings, in which- A indicates a truck frame composed of side bars, a, and cross-braces b, provided with a scoop, B, and G the wheels upon which said frame is carried. The side bars, a, instead of being carried back the usual distance, are 4 5 made somewhat shorter than common, and are furnished at their rear ends with strong hooks c. On the inner sides of the side bars are hooks D, Figs. 1 and 4, formed of cylindrical iron rods bent into suitable shape, and carried in eyes or staples d, which permit both a lateral and a longitudinal motion of the hooks to extend beyond the rear ends of the side bars,

a, as in Figs. 1 and 4:; but when the cask has been carried to the desired point, the handles are brought within the length of the side bars, a,-

at the rear and extended at the forward end beyond the scoop B, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This leaves the hooks c projecting beyond the rear end of the truck, so as to engage with staples or with a rod, 6, at the front edge of the rack or platform F, as in said figures. By then lifting or raising the handles E the cask may be readily set over upon the rack.

In order that the cask may not fall away from the truck and injure the faucet G or other outlet device, the scoop B is perforated or otherwise adapted to receive a detachable claw or hook, H, which is hooked or engaged over the end of the cask when the same is fully upon the truck, as in Fig. 2. This claw is of course removed except during the operation mentioned, and may obviously be attached to the side bars instead of the scoop.

Referring again to Figs. 1, 2, and 3, a con venient arrangement of the handles will be seen. The side rails,a,are provided with guides or metal loops f, in which are mounted longitudinally-movable bars 9, having handles E formed at both ends. WVhen the handles are required at the rear, the bars are pushed or drawn back and looked, as in Figs. 1 and l. Vhen wanted at the front end,they are moved in the opposite direction andlocked forward, as in Figs. 3 and 4. For the purpose of thus locking the handles in either position required, we provide a gravitating cross rod or bar Lwhich has its ends bent up against the outer faces of the side bars, a, and carried in eyes or staples h secured to sai-d bars. The side bars, a, and thehandle-bars g are both recessed sufficiently to permit the cross-bar I to enter its whole thickness or depth into the faces of either, so that it may be drawn up into the recess '6 of the side bars, clear of the handle-bars, thus allowing them to be moved longitudinally or dropped into the forward notches, 7t, or rear notches, j, of the handle-bars, to hold them in whichever position may be required. While this forms a verysimple and compact arrange ment, we do not desire to limit ourselves thereto, but may adopt any equivalent construction, many of which will. readily suggest themselves to the skilled mechanic. For instance, the handle-bars maybe at the sides in stead of beneath the side bars, a, or they may be hinged or jointed to the side bars midway between. the ends of the latter, as in Fig. 5, and arranged to swing at either end, suitable hooks or projecting arms being provided to prevent the rise or fall of the handles inde pendently of the body of the truck. Another convenient construction is shown in Fig. 6, in which four independent handles E are represented as arranged to fold against the sides of the frame A, each adapted to be turned outward, as required, to the positions indicated in dotted lines in said figure.

A spring, J, may be arranged to bear against the flat faces of handles E, as in Fig. 6, and to hold said handles either in their inner or outer positions, in the same manner, essentially, as a knife-blade is held by its spring.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is 1. In a truck, the combination ofa wheeled frame, A, provided with a scoop, B, at one end, and hooks c at the opposite end, and handles E, adapted to be extended from or brought within either-end, substantially as set forth.

2. In combination with a truck having a wheeled frame, provided at one end with a scoop, and at the other end with hooks, substantially such'as described and shown, handles adapted to be extended at will from either end of the frame, and a claw or hook, II, attached to the scoop or front part of the truck, for the purpose explained.

3. In combination with a truck having hooks at its rear end, substantially as set forth, a claw, H, detachably connected wit-h the forward end of the truck, substantially as and or thepurpose explained.

a. The herein-described truck, consisting of frame A, provided with scoop B at the forward end, and hooks c at the rear end, wheels, longitudinally-movable bars g, provided with notches] It, and gravitatingcross-bar I.

5. In combination with wheeled frame A, provided with scoop B and hooks c at its opposite ends, extensible handles E, and hooks D, adapted to move longitudinally and later ally, substantially as set forth.

M. AMBROSE METZGER. FRANK SCHILLING.

\Vitnesses:

Gnonen E. SMITH, WILLIAM P. MoKEY. 

